8 Days Southern Laos Discovery Tour from Luang Prabang
Tour Overview
If you have just few days for your trip in Laos but wish to experience all the best it has to offer, a Luang Prabang and Southern Laos tour...
Code of Tour: TAD0000028773
Length of Travel: 8 Day
Destinations of Tour: Luang Prabang → Pakse → Champasak → Pakse
Departure City:
Price of Tour: Request
Type of Tour: Private
Features of Tour: Nature tours Culture tours History tours
If you have just few days for your trip in Laos but wish to experience all the best it has to offer, a Luang Prabang and Southern Laos tour package will surely fulfill your dream trip. On this spectacular 8-day journey, you will start in the enchanting town of Prabang and end the tour in Pakse after enjoying a short time in the sleepy and laid-back 4000 islands. The most highlights of this trip are the fascinating jeep tour in the lush Bolaven Plateau and the peaceful silent morning almsgiving ceremony in Luang Prabang. Come join us and see the colorful charming beauty of Laos.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS TOUR
Explore relaxed atmosphere of UNESCO protected town of Luang Prabang
Partake in unique Laos’ traditions: daily morning almsgiving and Baci ceremony
Visit Wat Xieng Thong and many beautiful temples in Luang Prabang
Cruise leisurely along the mighty Mekong to visit the sacred Pak Ou Caves
Kuang Si waterfall – One of the most beautiful falls in Laos
Experience a jeep tour through coffee fields, waterfalls and ethnic minority villages in Bolaven Plateau
Discover Wat Phou, ancient temple ruins in the countryside of Champasak
Enjoy the laidback atmosphere in the 4000 island region
DAY 1: LUANG PRABANG
Transfer:
Activities: Arrive in Luang Prabang. Join in Baci ceremony at a local family & have dinner with the host family.
On arrival at the Luang Prabang airport, you will be met and transferred to check in the hotel.
Situated in the centre of northern Laos, Luang Prabang is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its outstanding cultural, historic and architectural values and its harmonious relationship between the natural and built environment.
You are free to stroll around the city for your own first impression of this ancient city. Late afternoon, join a private Baci ceremony at a local family. The Baci ceremony as a traditional ritual of the Lao people to expresses the spirituality of the country and is a highly memorable experience and a deep insight into Lao culture for the participants.
Dinner will be served after that for you to share with the host family. This is the best chance for you to have first experience of local life and culture.
Overnight in Luang Prabang.
Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: 3 Choices
DAY 2: LUANG PRABANG
Transfer:
Activities: Join in full day visit to Royal Palace Museum, Pak Ou Caves, village of Ban Xanghai, Wat Xiengthong, Traditional Art and Ethnology Center, Wat Prabath & Night Market
After breakfast, you will first visit Royal Palace Museum, which was built in 1904 during the French colonial era for King Sisavang Vong and his family. We then embark on a leisure cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a breathtaking view of the tranquil countryside, before reaching the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims. Along the way, we stop at the village of Ban Xanghai, where they make the local rice wine.
On arrival back in the city, we will visit magnificent Wat Xiengthong, a superb piece of Lao temple architecture, which presents a sweeping two-tiered roof and ornate mosaics including a beautiful ‘tree of life ‘glass montage on the rear temple wall. Afterwards, we will visit the Traditional Art and Ethnology Center (closed on Monday) to learn about Laos’ many ethnic cultures. From there, we will transfer to visit Wat Prabath to admire the sunset; this is the really peaceful place to catch the last beauty of the day. The tour ends after a visit to the famous Night Market, where you can find a lovely collection of handmade textiles made by local and hilltribe people surrounding Luang Prabang.
Overnight in Luang Prabang.
Experiences:
Royal Palace in Luang Prabang
Located on the banks of the Mekong River and facing the sacred Mount Phousi, the Royal Palace was built in 1904 to serve as the residence of King Sisavang Vong and his family during the French colonial era. After the revolution in 1975, the palace turned into a national museum and opened to the public in 1995. On the palace grounds, there are some buildings such as an exhibition hall, Haw Pra Bang that houses the standing Buddha statue called Prabang – the palladium of Laos, Royal Barge Shelter, Staff Headquarters and the Royal Ballet Theater. Besides enjoying the royal religious objects, the last king’s collection of cars, ancient statues, and paintings dating for centuries, you can also marvel at the stunning architecture of the palace that is a blend of traditional Lao style and French Beaux-Arts. The Royal Palace Museum is really well worth a visit to learn about Lao history and culture as well as the royal lifestyle.
Pay a visit to Wat Xieng Thong – the highest symbol of Buddhism in Laos
Wat Xieng Thong, literally translated the ‘monastery of the golden city’, is one of the oldest and most important temples of Luang Prabang as well as one of the highest symbols of Buddhism in Laos. This Buddhist temple was built in 1559-1560 by King Setthathirath in the northern tip of the peninsula where the Mekong River and the Nam Khan River join. After a number of restorations, Wat Xieng Thong now consists of more than twenty structures on the grounds including a sim, a royal funerary carriage house, pavilions, shrines, residences, and gardens. As the temple still keeps its original form, a visit around will show tourists the characteristics of 16th-century Lao art and craft with the 2-tiered roof, colorful mosaics and carvings depicting Lao legends and the tree of life on the rear temple walls. Wat Xieng Thong is also an important venue where significant annual festivities in Luang Prabang are held.
Enjoyable Mekong River boat excursion to Pak Ou Cave
When in Luang Prabang, it is recommended to take a boat tour through Mekong river and visit Pak Ou caves. The excursion will bring you pleasant time to see the local life along the way where the mountain, blue sky and spectacular scenery are in harmony to take the picture. The climb to the caves will guide you to superb exploration to see hundreds of Buddha sculptures in a dark cave, which is not only an insight into top attraction in Luang Prabang, but the historical stories of the sacred relics protection from bombings during the Secret War as well.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: 3 Choices
DAY 3: LUANG PRABANG
Transfer:
Activities: daily morning alms giving ceremony, take a look at a local market. Climb to Phousi Hill. Relax at the magnificent Kuang Si waterfalls & explore Bear Rescue Center and Kuang Si Falls Butterfly Park. Visit Ock Pop Tock Living Craft Center.
Wake up as the sun rises, we will prepare to join the most sacred tradition of Laos, the daily morning alms giving, which dates to the 14th century. More than 200 Buddhist monks depart from various temple to gather their daily meal from the faithful residents sitting quietly on the streets. From there, we will visit the temporary morning market near the former Royal Palace. Just set on the ground, the local people come here to barter their day’s catch from rice, to vegetable, to fish, or chicken. This is the best way to experience the taste of local life.
After breakfast at the hotel, we ascend the 329 steps to the top of Phousi Hill for a panoramic view of the city and the Mekong River. We then transfer directly to the beautiful Kuang Si waterfalls which is the biggest in the Luang Prabang area with three tiers leading to a 50-metre drop into spectacular azure pools before flowing downstream. The pools also make great swimming holes and are very popular with both tourists and locals We will also take a short visit to the Bear Rescue Center, which houses a couple of dozen animals rescued from the hands of poachers and traffickers. Before returning to Luang Prabang, we stop to visit the Kuang Si Falls Butterfly Park (closed from 15 APR – 30 JUN; 01-14 SEP, & 01 JAN every year), whose mission is to create a research centre studying and publishing about Laos butterflies, host plants and preservation.
Laos is also known for its traditional crafts, we will take a short visit to the Ock Pop Tock Living Craft Center, set serenely close to the Mekong, this beautiful, traditionally styled workshop, where weavers, spinners and batik makers produce top-quality fabrics, offers free tours every half-hour.
Overnight in Luang Prabang.
Experiences:
Kuang Si Falls Butterfly Park
Located downhill 300 meters before the entrance of the magnificent Kuang Si waterfalls, the eponymous Butterfly Park was opened in 2014 by a Dutch couple as home to Laos’ myriad butterflies in natural settings. The park is well worth a visit because it is not only a tourist attraction but also a research center that educates children and students about many species of local butterflies as well as Laos’ nature. When visiting Kuang Si Falls Butterfly Park, you will be given a comprehensive guide book with useful information about the park, following corridors of flowers and spotting colorful butterflies fluttering around. There is also a nursery where you can learn about the different stages in the life-cycle of a butterfly. At the end of the tour, you can enjoy a free pedicure at the natural foot spa with tiny fish that will nibble on your feet or savor some homemade cakes and drinks at the small lovely café nearby.
10
Mount Phousi
Located in the heart of the old town peninsular Luang Prabang, Mount Phousi, also known as the ‘sacred hill’ in Lao, stands at 100 meters above the sea level that makes it the highest point in the town as well as a must-see for any visitors in Laos. Surrounded by the Mekong River and Nam Khan River, the hill is a holy religious site of local people and a popular sunset & sunrise vantage point for international tourists. There are two staircases to reach the top of Mount Phousi, each with more than 300 steps, several viewpoints and Buddhist shrines. The advice here is you should take one up and the other one down to visit all scenic and cultural sites. At the top of the hill, you will see Wat Chom Si, a golden Buddhist stupa dating back to 1804, where is also the best place to enjoy the breathtaking 360° panorama of Luang Prabang town and forested mountains. Mount Phousi is quite busy in the late afternoon when visitors come to admire the sunset, so you can visit the hill before dawn for a more peaceful experience.
Ock Pop Tock Living Craft Center
Nestled in lush tropical gardens on the banks of the mighty Mekong River, Ock Pop Tok Living Craft Center is a special place of interest where visitors can learn about the history, development as well as impressive skills of Lao textiles and handicrafts. Following the concept of “East Meets West”, the center offers all tourists 30-minute free tours to see how master weavers make top-quality fabrics from the silkworm to the loom. The knowledgable staff will show you the way to make natural dyes as well as the most popular weaving techniques in Laos. You can also wander through the center shop to see all textile collections and may buy some lovely items. After the visit, you can enjoy a drink or Lao food at the Silk Road Café nearby that has amazing views over the Mekong and mountains beyond.
Spectacular and stunning Kuang Si WaterFalls
No words can describe the stunning of Kuang Si Waterfalls and the emerald water: you must witness in person, the experience will surely exceeds your expectations!Located outside the city of Luang Prabang, Kuang Si Waterfalls are absolutely breathtaking and definitely worth the visit. You can climb up to the falls and take a dip, or walk through the beautiful area and got in the water a bit more downstream, swim or simply put my feet in for a relaxation.Truly, a joyous feast for eyes and ears, for mind and soul !
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: 3 Choices
DAY 4: LUANG PRABANG, PAKSE, BOLAVEN PLATEAU(CHAMPASAK)
Transfer:
Activities: Fly from Luang Prabang to Pakse. Depart to Bolaven Plateau. Visit Tad Lo waterfalls. Drive to Ban Houay Houn village to learn about Katu textiles.
We will take the morning flight to Pakse, the biggest town of southern Laos. QV513 LPQ PKZ 10:40 12:20. Then depart for the Bolaven Plateau, a mountainous region home to dozens of hill tribes, waterfalls and coffee and tea plantations.
The first stop is the visit of Tad Lo waterfalls, a beautiful formation of three separate falls. From the bridge, you will first see Tad Hang and then Tad Lo in the distance. The most impressive of the three, Tad Suong, is located a further 10km upriver. From there, we will drive to the small village of Ban Houay Houn, famous for its Katu textiles. Here, you will have the chance to observe the women weaving without a traditional loom but using their legs to stretch the fabric.
We continue our journey through the Paksong and Boloven Plateau. The Boloven Plateau is known for its cooler temperature being located high above the Mekong Valley. Rivers run off this high plateau in all directions and then plunge out to lush forests along in a series of spectacular surging waterfalls.
Overnight in Bolaven Plateau.
Experiences:
Natural beauty of Bolaven Plateau
Mainly located within Champasak Province in southern Laos, Bolaven Plateau is one of the best destinations in Laos for nature lovers due to its cultural and geographical areas of interest. On discovery of the Plateau, you will first visit the area of Volcanic Rock which is famous for green suburb tea and coffee plantations owing to the cooler temperatures, abundant rainfall, and rich soil. Then go on to Tad Fane Waterfall, a beautiful double cascade of water surrounded by green plants and lush trees. You can enjoy picturesque views of the waterfall from a viewing platform. A further 2km from Tad Fane through the coffee plantations is Tad Yuang Waterfall, the perfect place to cool down the heat and get closer to nature. You can swim in the pool below the waterfall or hike along the trail to a stunning picnic spot with spectacular views. If you are looking for a natural destination to escape from the busy city life, let give Bolaven Plateau a try and enjoy a wonderful time in nature.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: 1 Choices
DAY 5: BOLAVEN PLATEAU(CHAMPASAK)
Transfer:
Activities: Coffee trail experience by jeep car. Visit coffee farm, have picnic lunch & explore Laven village and Suay village.
09:00Am, we will meet the Jeep tour specialist at Chai Coffee, and have some discussion with him there when enjoying a cup of coffee.
After that, we will hop on the Jeep and drive 30 minutes to Tad Moun waterfalls, where we can enjoy the fresh cool water, and visit the nearby vegetable farm.
11:00 Am, we continue driving to the Coffee Farm of Mr. Khamsone via the 10KM bumpy and muddy road, which will take you 01 hour with your special Jeep car. Upon arrival, Mr khamsone, the Coffee farm’s owner will take 1hour to demonstrate about coffee roasting step and finishing by a coffee cupping to Savor the different kind of coffee (Robusta, Arabica and Typica).
We will have the picnic lunch on the farm at around 1:30PM before continue driving to Laven village to see their daily life and their paddy field. From there, we will drive to Suay village, where we can find many traditional long houses made by bamboo, which is shared by some generations of 01 family.
Finally, we will drive back to your hotel. Free for the rest of the day. Overnight in Bolaven Plateau.
Experiences:
Coffee trail experience by jeep car in Bolaven Plateau
Mainly located within Champasak province of Laos, Bolaven Plateau is one of the best destinations for nature lovers due to its cool, green mountains, stunning natural waterfalls, and colorful ethnic minorities. To travel on bumpy and muddy roads of the Plateau, a coffee trail experience by jeep car will definitely make your day in Laos. The acitivities may include in this tour such as a visit to the coffee farm where you go jaunting around the vast coffee plantations and taste different kinds of local coffee; discovery of Bolaven Plateau’s waterfalls; and exploration of Laven and Suay villages, where you can see many traditional houses and the villagers’ daily activities. Step away from the tourist trail, this tour is a fascinating adventure into the heart of Southern Laos.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: 1 Choices
DAY 6: BOLAVEN PLATEAU(CHAMPASAK), CHAMPASAK
Transfer:
Activities: Drive to Wat Phou, stop at the wood carving village of Ban Nong Bune, have lunch at Ban Kiet Ngong village. Free afternoon.
After breakfast, transfer by road to Wat Phou. Recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, Wat Phou is a spectacular pre-Angkorian temple that sits amidst the rice fields and waterways of southern Laos. The temple was constructed in three levels: the bottom level is focused on the baray (water reservoir) and promenade, the second level features quadrangular pavilions and galleries of carvings, and the top level is the sanctuary itself. The temple was built by the rulers of the Khmer empire before the construction of Angkor Wat. The temple served as the most important economic and political centre of the region and still is one of the Lao people’s most revered temples.
Pass through the small town of Champasak, where French colonial buildings offer a great contrast to Wat Phou.
Continue south, stopping at the wood carving village of Ban Nong Bune.
On arrival in the small Lao village of Ban Kiet Ngong you will have lunch in a simple local restaurant.
In the afternoon, you are free in the afternoon to relax and enjoy the view of the paddy field surrounding the lodge.
There are some choice of activities offered by the lodge if you want some.
Overnight at King Fisher Eco-Lodge.
Experiences:
Ruins of Wat Phou
Wat Phou, also known as Vat Phou or Vat Phu, is an ancient ruined temple complex in southern Laos. Located at the base of mount Phou Khao 40km outside the town of Pakse, this temple was originally built by the Khmer Empire and dedicated to Lord Shiva but then became a center of Buddhist worship until today. Despite the striking resemblance as a miniature version of Angkor Wat, Wat Phou is much quiet and peaceful with the most area of the architecture built high into the hillside. Climbing up an age-old set of stone steps, visitors will see a modest temple with statues of Buddha and crumbling carved stones. Take time at the natural terrace where you can relax under the shade of green trees, admire the surrounding landscapes and overlook the Mekong River.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: 1 Choices
DAY 7: CHAMPASAK, 4000 ISLANDS
Transfer:
Activities: Drive to Khong Island. Take a long tail boat to Ban Khone. Discover the 4000 islands area by tuk tuk. Pay a visit to the marvelous Liphi waterfall. Visit Khone Phapheng. Drive back to Khong Island.
Saying goodbye to the village of Ban Khiet Ngong, we continue driving to Khong Island, the biggest island of 4000- island area. Upon arrival, we embark on a long tail boat for venturing into the widest reach of the Mekong River, where during the dry season the waters recede and leave behind thousands of islets, giving this area a lovely name” Si Phan Done”. Upon arrival, explore the local peaceful villages of Ban Khone, where you will see an array of relics from the French colonial era and retrace the old colonial past, including old French colonial buildings and the remnants of the first Lao railway with its locomotive.
We continue to discover the 4000 islands area by tuktuk and visit the marvelous Liphi waterfall, also called the “Corridor of the Devil” one of the most beautiful waterfalls marking Lao border with Cambodia. If we are lucky, we may even see the rare freshwater Irrawaddy Mekong dolphin at Ban Hang Khone. We return to the mainland at the fishing village of Ban Nakasang and drive further south to visit Khone Phapheng. Khone Phapheng is considered the largest waterfall by volume in South East Asia; this is an impressive spot near the Lao-Cambodian border, set within an area which is teeming with wildlife, making this area one of the most breathtaking destinations in Laos. Afterwards we drive back to Khong Island.
Overnight in Khong Island.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: 1 Choices
DAY 8: 4000 ISLANDS, PAKSE
Transfer:
Activities: Be transferred to Pakse airport for your departure flight
From the island, you will be transferred back to Pakse to take the departure flight for the next destination.
Ends of services!
Service Included:
- Admission fees for all of the sightseeing spots listed in the itinerary;
- Meals as listed in the itinerary;
- Hotels as listed in the itinerary;
- Private English-speaking tour guide and vehicle for transfers & sightseeing;
- Service charge & government taxes;
- Luggage transfers between airports and hotels;
- Two bottles of mineral water each day;
Service Excluded:
- Any arrival and departure international airfares or train tickets;
- Chinese visa fees;
- Excess baggage charged by Airlines;
- Single room supplement;
- Tips to guides and drivers;
- Personal expenses and gratuities to service staff.
- Personal travel accident insurance;
- All optional programs;
- Domestic air tickets fares with airport tax and fuel extra fee based on economy class mentioned in the program.
